This man was enlisted at Mobile AL by an officer named Seawell on Aug. 19, 1862. The draft law then in effect obliged him to enlist, but as a physician, he should have been exempt. As it was he was sent to the Camp of Instruction at Notasulga AL, a site where draftees were trained. All were assigned to individual companies at camp; his name appears on a register of Company "I", 1st Conscript Regiment. Eugenius F. Baber, formerly 1st Sergeant of Company “C”, 3rd Alabama Infantry Regiment, would have been this man's drill officer and company commander.

Another drill officer at Notasulga, 1st Lt. John H. Echols, was assigned to duty as provost marshal at Montgomery, Alabama, February 2, 1863. He was in charge of the military police in the Alabama capitol. Echols had at his disposal two companies of conscripts from Notasulga. I would guess that these were the best available men from Camp of Instruction, and that included Nathaniel M. Cluck.

A law passed by Congress on Feb. 17, 1864, allowed only older or disabled men to serve as provost guards. On March 24, 1864, the two companies of provost guards at Montgomery were assigned to the 21st Alabama, then serving in the outer defenses of Mobile. N. M. Cluck was assigned to Company "C" of the 21st Alabama. Most of this company was captured when Fort Gaines surrendered on August 8, 1864, but Cluck did not go to prison with the rest of this unit.

A pay receipt in his records indicates that he was at Charleston [SC] during this time. I believe men who wanted to take the medical exam to become commissioned medical officers went to school there. Staff records show that N. M. Cluck was appointed assistant surgeon Nov. 3, 1864, to rank from Sept. 16, 1864. His appointment, which shows him to be from Tennessee, was confirmed on Dec. 28, 1864. The "to rank" date may be the date he passed his exam; he was ordered to report to Col. M. H. Cofer, Provost Marshal of the Army of Tennessee on that date.

Evidently Assistant Surgeon Cluck followed the fortunes of that army during the fall and winter of 1864-65. Surrender records show that he was still with the provost marshal of the Army of Tennessee when General Johnston came to terms with General Sherman on Apr. 26, 1865.

I hope this helps to tie everything together. Please don't hesitate to ask questions.